Local woman spreading the news about suicide prevention

Carol Hawkins, right, and several other drivers from throughout the state display the Drive Out Suicide sign.

On Nov. 18, a group of Pennsylvania drivers from all over the state decided to take a stand in the campaign for suicide prevention -- by driving their cars.

The six individuals are part of a campaign called “Drive out Suicide,” and are members of the fifth group participating since September. “Drive out Suicide” is being a program of the Pennsylvania Adult and Older Adult Suicide Prevention Coalition, or AOASPC.

The first group, made up of six women, took to their cars on Sept. 24 with a cling-on sticker attached to their back windshield that said “There is hope.” The sticker also included the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the name of the campaign. Every two weeks, the drivers participating are rotated out, and a new set of five to six cars drive away with a message of hope on their back windshield.

“It’s about bringing awareness to the subject,” said Carol Harkins, co-chairman for the Chester County Suicide Prevention Task Force. Harkins drove with the sticker on her windshield in the fourth round, and her son, Brad Harkins, is participating in the round which began on Nov. 18.

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The AOASPC plans for the campaign to last into June 2014, ensuring that as many people as possible see the message they are trying to spread. Participating drivers are taken from each of the five regions in Pennsylvania, so that the information is spread throughout the entire state. In addition to having the sticker on the backs of their cars, volunteers will also have suicide prevention resources in their car, in case of an emergency.

Harkins, who has been a member of the AOASPC for roughly three years, said the organization is about “teaching people not to be afraid to ask the question: are you thinking about suicide.” AOASPC is a resource, not a solution or source of therapy, she explained. “Don’t fix it for them.”

Harkins lost her son, Jimmy, to suicide in 1992, when he was only 15 years old. “If I can prevent one family from suffering this tragic loss, my efforts will not be in vain,” she said.

“Four Pennsylvanians die by suicide each and every day,” said Harkins. “My hope is that this campaign will shed light on the issue in Chester County and throughout Pennsylvania. Bringing awareness is the first step in reducing deaths by suicide.”

Volunteers are needed for upcoming sessions going into June. To sign up, or to learn more about the campaign, visit the “Drive out Suicide” blog at www.driveoutsuicide.org.

The AOASPC was founded as the Feeling Blue Suicide Prevention Council in 1999. At the time, the organization was an outreach program with Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church in Radnor. Members of the parish came together to help prevent suicide, and to help reduce the stigma associated with suicide. In 2004, the organization became a nonprofit, and spread their reach from the Main Line area to all of Pennsylvania.

To join the AOASPC, or to learn more about the organization and its efforts, visit www.preventsuicidepa.org.